Emergency Preparedness for Agritourism Operations

Penny Leff, Agritourism CoordinatorUC Small Farm Program

Based on Agritourism Emergency Preparednessmaterials created by Julie Fox,Eric Barrett, Rob Leads and Dee Jepsen,Ohio State University Extension

Safety vs. Emergency

Safety Preparations• Putting in fire control

systems• Making rules• Eliminating potential

injury ‘items’• Equipment back-ups• Etc………..

Emergency PreparednessThe National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

“Activities, tasks, programs, and systems developed and implemented prior to an emergency that are used to support the prevention of, mitigation of, response to and recovery from emergencies.”

What does it mean to be Emergency Ready?

Prepare

Respond &

MitigateRecover

Improve Practices

Creating Your Emergency Response Plan

• Start a plan page for each topic• Set up a checklist for each plan

page• Set up a support team• Start to work your plan into

place• Implement at your farm or

ranch

Prepare….Respond….Recover….Improve

Your Support Team

• Meet with local fire department, Health Department, EMA, Sheriff, Local Police, Attorney and Insurance Representative

• Each member has a unique role• Host a familiarization tour of your farm and agritourism

operation• Provide a copy of your emergency response plan to team

members

Starting the PlanEmergency Contact Numbers• Owner/operator’s phone• Fire/sheriff/EMT• Gas/electric supplier• Health Department• Insurance provider• Neighbor/other person familiar with

operation• Equipment dealer• City, county, state orgs.• Other

Starting the PlanProperty Map (s)• Directions to farm/fields• Map with access points• Facility map for buildings,

labeled as livestock, equipment, chemical, etc.

• Landscape map including wells, ponds, lagoons, propane tanks, electric poles, etx.

Natural Disasters

Storms, Tornados, Floods• City, county and state emergency management agencies

and services are typically available for large disasters• Insurance companies• Prepare for localized and seasonal emergencies

– Thunder storms– Localized flash flooding– High winds

• Have 2+ ways to stay informed of weather conditions

Designate a Storm Shelter

• Shelters should be structurally sound and not in danger of collapse during severe storms

• Should provide protection from wind, blowing debris and lightning.

• Do not permit anyone to seek shelter near trees or other tall objects

• Keep people away from doorways, windows, electrical appliances and plumbing.

• Wired telephones should not be used during thunderstorms, but cordless and cell phones are safe to use.

People-Made Disasters

FireLetter classification given an extinguisher to designate the class or classes of fire on which it will be effective.

Class A – ordinary combustibles Class B – flammable liquids & gassesClass C – live electrical equipmentClass D – combustible metalsClass K – kitchen fires, specifically deep fryers

Fire• Create emergency exit plans for all areas of the

enterprise• Train all staff on how to evacuate customers in the event

of a fire or other emergency

Injuries & Medical Emergencies

• Plan & Educate (employees and visitors)

• Employee Training– Establish emergency protocol– Enable emergency vehicle assess to all areas– Have employee identified to direct emergency responders– Have emergency information available

• Phone #• Directions• Address

– Fill out Incident Report Form, keep records

Equipment Failure – What’s the plan?

• Credit card system fails• Wheel comes off wagon• Jumping pillow collapses• Gates down, animals out• Lost Power/Utilities

– Can you stay open?• Worth having back-up generator?• Water for food service?• Septic issues?• Your payment systems?

Traffic Accident

• Train staff to call 911 and give location

• Treat as an off farm accident• Provide emergency access• Work with officials to mitigate

risk to emergency responders• Closed or reduced access to

farm?– Creates additional issues– Who is directing traffic?

Lost Child

• Preparing– Informing guests– i.e. – cell # or wristband– Informing employees

• ‘Lost’ child incident– Utilize “CODE: Adam”

• Communicate• Search• Reunite• Communicate

Aggressive Guest

• Institute “complaint procedure”• One staff person listen, pay full attention to guest• Attempt to resolve problem, call for help from other staff• If needed, supervisor restart “complaint procedure”• If problem cannot be resolved, remove guest from farm,

calling security or police if needed

Shooting?

Recover and Improve Practices

Back to your Emergency Response Plan…

• Start a plan page for each topic• Set up a check-list for each plan page• Set up your support team• Start to work your plan into place• Implement at your farm or ranch

Prepare….Respond….Recover….Improve

Recover

Who’s in charge? This is the communications person on the farm

• Every question goes to this one person• It’s part of your plan• Do not deviate, no matter what• Consider a professional PR person

Recover

Public Relations Plan• Pre-plan initial responses based on the categories of

emergencies we’ve reviewed• Run these by your support team• No response means they will talk to ‘anyone else’ who wants

to comment on the situation

Recover

Notifications• Insurance• Attorneys

– What to improve, how quick if any kind of suit being filed

• Others

Improve Practices

• Revisit Plan• Address any holes you discovered• Update policies learned

– From EMA, Sheriff, police, attorney, etc

• Update– Employee manuals– Employee training– Signage/postings

Improve Practices

• Not just due to disasters at your operation• Base on media stories of other operations

– Schools– Fairgrounds– Farms

• Update your plan based on what happened

Checklists

• Easiest way to review regularly

• Divided into sections by type of emergency

• Needs to be your own– Use available models– Base on our categories– Review yearly

• www.safeagritourism.com

Quick Access GuideAgritourism Disaster Management Quick Access Guide• Helps employees respond faster• Can be posted with fire extinguishers

Quick Access GuideAgritourism Disaster Management Quick Access GuidePrepare – Respond – Recover - Improve

Resources• http://www.ready.gov/business• http://www.sba.gov/content/disaster-preparedness• www.safeagritourism.com• Emergency Procedures Workbook, from OSU Extension• Communications Plan:

http://www.agilityrecovery.com/assets/SBA/emercommsba.pdf

• Online course:http://emilms.fema.gov/is42/index.htm

SummaryEmergency preparedness is a form of business management. As you move forward in your business strategies, consider the risks and hazards that affect your business.

Thank you!

Questions?

Contact: paleff@ucdavis.edu530-752-7779